From: Kelly Pierce 
Subject: new list on blind computer user groups
Howdy all,
Below is the announcement of a new e-mail list on blind computer user 
groups.  It is believed that this list can assist in either creating new 
forms of organization or aiding existing efforts and chapters on the 
local level.  We share many resources, organizational plans, and ideas 
oon blindness and adapted technology in intergrating it on the community 
level.  We welcome those who believe that their blindness is something 
larger then themselves and technology is a part of thaat.  Check us out 
and see what you can apply in your local efforts.
kelly 
VICUG-L: the Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
The aim of VICUG-L is to foster the establishment and promote the growth
of local Visually Impaired and Blind Computer Users' Groups worldwide.
Most of VICUG-L's subscribers are members of blind/vi computer user groups
in their local communities.  List members pool knowledge and resources to
help each other function at their best in this fast-changing electronic
age.  We exchange educational materials, keep one another apprised of
local activities, and discuss strategies for co-ordinated action.  
No group in your community?  No problem.  Like you, most list members are
pursuing technology-related activities that impact on the workplace,
research, education and the job market.  List members explore on-line
information networks; hear about developments in the industry, examine new
adaptations and test new software; and exchange consultations and training
at all levels of expertise--everything from late-breaking news on the
latest technological advances to information about local resources which
repair and refurbish donated computer hardware.
Unlike most mailing lists, VICUG-L is a dialogue, rather than a discussion
or a chat list.  This means that the list exists mainly as a means of
sharing and exchanging information, news, innovations, trends, and reports
on local service, educational programs, organizing efforts, and advocacy
activities.  VICUG-L is a network--a means of locating resources, finding
answers, and developing strategies for learning and mastering adaptive
technology.
VICUG-L is predicated upon the belief that blind computer users master 
adaptive
technology quickly and thoroughly when they work collectively--learning from 
each other, sharing ideas, evaluating products, and advocating for greater
access to software and information on the local, the national, and the
international level.  VICUG-L, therefore, is designed to serve as a catalyst 
which will help foster the development, and the maturation, of participatory 
educational/support organizations, comprised of individual blind users,
committed to the principles of self-development, mutual aid, cooperative 
learning and peer mentoring.
Everyone these days seems to be plugged in; everyone and everything is
online.  And, yet, we, as blind computer users are routinely reduced to 
roadkill on the information superhighway.  The learning curve is steep,
yet to whom can we turn to obtain an objective opinion on emerging 
technology, or for a new insight or strategy in overcoming what has always
seemed hopelessly inaccessible?  To each other, through VICUG-L.
VICUG-L is the united voice of individual blind and visually impaired
computer users who have joined together to form local communities of
users.  It is a means not only of increasing your personal knowledge of
computers and access technology, but the pool of knowledge available to
all blind/vi computer users.  VICUG-L offers grass-roots alternative to a
community too long divided by geography and the limitations of traditional
media.  Thanks to the internet, for the first time in history, we, as
blind individuals, have the capacity to share our skills and expertise
with  one another; to keep each other apprised of our activities and
agendas; to share educational materials and organizational experiences.
It is a bridge between the global and the local--in a word, it is
VICUG-L.
If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can check out the list
before joining.  An archive of past posts to VICUG-L can be found at the
following URL:
     http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
To subscribe to VICUG-L, type:
     subscribe VICUG-L firstname lastname
in the BODY of an email message, and send it to:
     LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
You can also subscribe directly to VICUG-L via the web.  Just use the
mailto: fields in the hypertext version of this list description, which is
located at:
     http://www.njin.net/caldwell/vicug/vicug-l.html
And, if you are a member of a visually impaired/blind computer users group
or know of a technology access group which is not listed at:
    http://www.njin.net/caldwell/vicug/vicugs.html
please let us know by sending a message to:
     VICUG-L-request@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
We look forward to getting to know you, and the users in your community, 
as--together--we transform blind people everywhere through technology.
 Kelly Pierce, Gregory J. Rosmaita, and Mark Senk, ListOwners, VICUG-L
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VICUG-L ARCHIVES     http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
INDEX of VICUGS           http://www.njin.net/caldwell/vicug/vicugs.html
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